Seeing off the British diplomatic representative, Sir McKenan, Earl Zhu Wei saw Major General Li Xuanzhu and Lieutenant Colonel Bian Chunsong strolling leisurely in the garden, so he walked over and chatted a few words.

Rear Admiral Li Xuanzhu and his senior military observer attaché arrived in Saigon two days ago on the cruiser "Kokang," and now that it is the end of April, their military mission has almost been completed, and it is time to retire with success.

The Yue State firmly occupied a large area of land north of Quang Binh Province, and set up two strong defensive lines in Lishui County and Hengshan, and gathered heavy troops on the front line, and the rest was the Yue State's own business.

"General, it's so leisurely!" Count Zhu Wei said with a smile.

Major General Li Xuanzhu bent down slightly to show his respect and replied; "Your Excellency, our mission as soldiers is almost complete, and the rest is a diplomatic game, which is not an area that soldiers are good at, and in the rest of the time, the Military Observer Corps will be reduced to a real spectator."

"You have done a very good job, Your Majesty did not expect to win so simply, from the telegram received from the base camp, I can feel the joy hidden between the lines, congratulations to General Jian in the emperor's heart!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for the fear of the bolt."

"Hahaha...... Don't be polite, general, I didn't have a chance before, and you and I should be closer and closer in the future! Count Zhu Wei laughed heartily, laughing so happily in the bright sunshine of Saigon at the end of April.

The military victory brought with it diplomatic initiative, and the emergence of the Ocean Kingdom as a mediator meant a significant increase in its international status, and in the absence of the British, the Ocean Kingdom had more opportunities to carry bootlegged goods and reap the benefits of both sides of the negotiation.

Needless to say, the "Treaty on Trade and Shipping between the Ocean Kingdom and the Vietnam Kingdom" can be signed at any time, and the country will open Haiphong, Taiyuan, Lishui and other cities to the Ocean Kingdom, set up commercial ports, and strengthen economic and trade ties between the two sides.

On this basis

The Ocean Kingdom leased the port of Haiphong and stationed troops in Vietnam, and set up a marine police district to station a fleet, which actually assumed the maritime defense function of Vietnam and avoided the possibility of invasion by the French Far East Fleet from the sea.

The signing of the Lend-Lease Treaty between the two countries is an unequal treaty that humiliates the country for a big country, but for a small country like Vietnam, it is no less than a talisman.

From then on, the Yue Kingdom only needed to develop its land military forces, and all its maritime defenses were under the jurisdiction of the Borneo Fleet of the Ocean Kingdom, which was much less time-saving and labor-saving than developing its own maritime forces.

To be honest, the Vietnamese country also does not have the ability to develop an expensive navy.

Haiphong Port, as the most important west coast gateway to Hanoi, the royal capital, once the French Far East Fleet landed here, it could directly attack Hanoi, and the two strong defensive lines set up by the Vietnamese in the Zhongqi area would be in vain, and they could no longer play their role in defending against foreign enemies.

Therefore, from a practical point of view, the Vietnamese country must entrust the port of Haiphong to the fleet of the Ocean Kingdom, and there is no other way.

Facing the olive branch extended by Earl Zhu Wei, Major General Li Xuanzhu responded with a solemn fist; "If you want to, you don't dare to ask for it."

"Hahaha...... Well, at present, the hearts of the French Governor-General of Saigon are fluctuating, and the main war faction in Paris and the main peace faction are arguing, and they can't come up with a specific charter for a while, and it seems that they will stay in Saigon for a while. Why didn't General Li bring his family over and stay for a while, and it would be regarded as a vacation. ”

"Your Excellency Your Excellency ......"

"Whoa...... General, if this is the case, I will see the outside, I am a few years older than you, so I will call Brother Zhu, and I will call you Brother Zhu, wouldn't it be good? ”

"That'...... It is better to be respectful than to obey orders, according to what my brother said. Major General Li Xuanzhu saluted, and the two looked at each other and laughed, everything was silent.

Seeing that the two bigwigs were talking happily, Lieutenant Colonel Bian Chunsong wisely retired and left.

Count Zhu Wei would not pay attention to a small lieutenant colonel, and after a few words of greeting, he brought the topic back to the current affairs of the Indochina Peninsula and asked; "Brother Zhuzhu, you have let go of all the affairs over there, can you arrange it in the future?"

Major General Li Xuanzhu replied confidently; "Brother Zhu, please rest assured, the Lishui defense line and the Hengshan defense line are both under construction as planned, and they already have preliminary defense capabilities.

According to the plan;

Most of the officers and soldiers of the first batch of retired officers and soldiers of the Black Flag Army were arranged in Lishui County, where the land is fertile, there are many rivers, and the sunshine is abundant, making it the best place to locate paddy fields.

The reclamation of this group of officers and men of the Black Banner who have rich combat experience in this area and use them as reserve militia will greatly enhance the civilian defense capability in the Zhongqi area.

The three northern provinces of Central Ki occupied by the Viet Nam are Nghe An Province, Ha Tinh Province and Quang Binh Province from north to south, and in the future, they will be mainly used to resettle officers and soldiers who have been awarded military merits, with a total of no less than 40,000 people.

In addition to facing the Black Flag Army (stationed in the Lishui Defense Line) and the Third Division of the New Army (stationed in the Hengshan Defense Line) and the Second Division of the New Army (stationed in Ha Tinh Province), the French invaded the north, and they also had to face a large number of reservists to fight back to the death.

For these veterans, the invasion of the French colonizers will directly infringe on their vital interests, destroy their beautiful homes, and lose their fertile fields, and they must take up swords and guns to drive away the invaders.

In the three provinces of Zhongqi, it is planned to relocate no less than 200,000 Guangxi mountain people to live, and in this regard, it will be greatly assisted by the governor of Guangxi, Li Ping, to open the door to convenience.

Moreover, on the Hengshan defense line, there is also the personal guidance of Lord Duan Qirui, the general soldier of Guangdong, presumably Brother Zhu should have heard of his name......"

Duan Qirui ...... Could it be the same general who created the "Battle of Sad Ridge"? Count Zhu Wei said thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Li Xuanzhu stroked his palms and laughed, and then said proudly; "This Duan Qirui is my old subordinate, and he is also a sworn brother, and he also has a brother-in-law, and the relationship can be described as an irreversible friend!

Brother Qirui is called the "master of defense" by the military circles, and this time he is in charge of the Hengshan defense line, and the whole country can sit back and relax. ”

"Yes, it is a wise move for the Vietnamese country to implement the policy of fixing the border of the army on a large scale, implement the constitutional monarchy, and comprehensively introduce the administrative system and military system of the Ocean Kingdom!" Earl Zhu Wei replied with deep emotion, then walked a few steps with his hands in his hands, and continued;

"Ten years after the implementation of this law, it is fully expected that a strong and prosperous small regional country will emerge on the Indochina Peninsula, which will echo each other and provide Austrian aid to each other, forming a stable situation in the southern region, and the southern Xinjiang will have no worries!"

"Brother Zhu, from a military point of view, from the north to the port of Naha in the Ryukyus, to Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and to the Haiphong Port of Vietnam in the south, it will form a port group throughout the South China Sea and the East China Sea with the ports of Borneo, like a pearl necklace from north to south, forming an organic echo of the whole, which greatly expands the far sea defense boundary of the Ocean Kingdom, which is of great significance for ensuring the military security of the Kingdom."

"Your Majesty's plan, we are far from it!" Earl Zhu Wei sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Major General Li Xuanzhu's expression was straight, and he clasped his hands into fists and saluted the air; "I also deeply feel the same way, Your Majesty is a rare man to see in the world in 500 years, is the benefactor of Li Zhuzhu in this life, and is also a person who has been recreated by the students of the Millions of Young Eagle School.

Hearing the words of General Li Xuanzhu, Earl Zhu Wei recalled the majestic figure of His Majesty when he was at the Huhai Hotel 18 years ago, the great dream of creating a beautiful paradise for the Chinese in Australia, with a dazzling aura, which inspired him to make unremitting efforts.

What an exciting and brilliant achievement it is to have a dream come true!

Saigon Governor's Palace

Governor Montapero looked as if he was 10 years older, his sideburns were already patchy with gray hair, he no longer had the calm and elegant demeanor he had before, and his gray-blue eyes looked melancholy and angry.

He put down the official letter from Paris in his hand, and felt the bruises in his head "suddenly" and kept jumping, full of feelings of depression and humiliation.

The letter said;

A second group of reinforcements from Corsica on the French mainland will arrive in Saigon in mid-to-late May to restore and strengthen control over the French Indochina Peninsula.

Nowadays, the government is facing great pressure, and many authoritative media, such as the French "Saint-Germain Daily", the British "Times", the "World Journal", the Brisbane Courier, and the Melbourne Observer, have successively reprinted and reported on the recent situation of the French expeditionary officers and soldiers captured by Vietnam, causing an uproar in France.

Demonstrations broke out one after another in Paris, Bordeaux, Montperier, Lyon and other places by military families and sympathizers, demanding that the government solve the problem of captured servicemen as soon as possible and let the children go home.

The defeat of the French army in Indochina was a disgrace to the Paris government.

The British "Times" said in a provocative tone;

Regrettably...... This was the second major defeat of the French expeditionary force in Indochina in 11 years, and the north became the Achilles heel of France, where it was broken again and again.

One can't help but ask, when is the next time?

The bitterness of the British really drove Paris crazy, and the veteran French generals were not optimistic about the situation in Indochina, believing that to break the current standoff, at least 45,000 army units equipped with heavy artillery would be required, and a strong French Far East fleet would be needed.

Such a price made the Paris government hesitate.

To transport military power from the French mainland to the distant Indochina Peninsula, each French soldier needs 300~400 francs for transportation, which still does not include the one-way freight of weapons, ammunition and logistical baggage, which alone costs nearly 20 million francs.

Indochina threatens to become a bottomless pit of burning military spending, not to mention the fact that there are more than 6,000 captured officers and soldiers in the hands of the other side, which makes the decision-making of the Paris government difficult.

Therefore, the letter calls on the Saigon Governor's Office to take substantive steps to break the current deadlock, which is the natural and unshirkable responsibility of the Saigon Governor's Office.

Therefore, the governor of Montapero had to scold when he saw the letter; MMP!

The letter did not say when the new governor would take office, nor did it have a formal mandate, let alone the news of a third batch of reinforcements, but asked the Saigon Governor's Office to "make substantial moves" to break the current deadlock.

What does it mean to be "substantive"?

This is clearly to let the French Saigon Governor's Office bear the blame, that is, to let the Governor Montapero shoulder the responsibility for the defeat, and try to redeem the more than 6,000 captured French officers and soldiers anyway.

It will definitely not be able to fight, just by virtue of the first and second batches of reinforcements in hand plus the existing troops, that is, 10,000 nods, how to fight?

Since it can't be beaten, there must be only talk.

In the face of the vague directives of the Paris government, the governor of Montapero could only comply with them even if he was depressed, he knew that his political future was completely ruined, and if he wanted to leave a decent ending, he would try to negotiate a relatively acceptable and good result, and give the Paris government a step downhill.

Formal negotiations between the Saigon Governor's Office and Viet Nam began in late April and continued intermittently until mid-June, with the mediation of the international community.

Although the war was defeated, the French showed a very tough attitude, and at first demanded that the Vietnamese withdraw from the occupied areas, restore the initial border line of March 3, unconditionally release the captured French officers and soldiers, and hold the parties directly responsible, which directly led to the breakdown of the negotiations.

The Vietnamese side also showed a strong line in the negotiations, demanding that France recognize the current border line, recognize the fact of defeat in the war, and recognize that Vietnam is a legally independent kingdom and that its existing territory is sacred and inviolable......

In addition to the above demands, France had to pay a huge ransom of 85 million francs for more than 6,000 prisoners of war, an average of more than 14,000 francs for an officer, cheaper for soldiers and more expensive for officers.

Vietnam did not ask France to pay "war reparations", these four words are a huge pain point for all French people, and they really can't be touched at all, so Vietnam's diplomatic negotiators cleverly avoided this point and only talked about the ransom.

The negotiations between the two sides stumbled, and under the mediation of the international community, they broke down and resumed, and resumed and broke down, with several ups and downs, and the divergent views on all sides gradually approached.

During this period

The families of more than 6,000 French officers and soldiers who were captured in the French army continued to hold demonstrations, joint appeals, and other public activities, and through public opinion reports, they created a strong pressure in society and caused a deep headache for the Paris government.

It was precisely because of these factors that the Saigon Governor's Office had to sit back at the negotiating table and continue the difficult negotiation process.

There are two factors that hinder the formal conclusion of the peace talks, one is the pride of the French, and the other is the tough attitude in the Vietnamese negotiations, which is really difficult for the French to accept compared to the soft figure of the Qing State after the Battle of Tsinghua.

Fortunately, at this time, there was an even more unfortunate Italian kingdom, which was beaten on the head and bloodied in the Ethiopian colony in Africa, and had to sign a contract admitting defeat and withdraw from Ethiopia in Africa.

In the past few years, the Kingdom of Italy has invested heavily in the construction of ports, wharves, urban roads and other infrastructure, all of which were lost, and they were given to the African Black Uncle, which became a joke among the European colonizers.

Nearly half of the hundreds of thousands of Italians who emigrated to Ethiopia have flocked to Somali Oblast, especially in the towns of Xi'an, Humen, Ede and Assab.

The opening of the Somali region to these Italian immigrants will be a powerful addition to the lack of population and close ties with Europe.

meanwhile

According to the employment contract signed between the Humen mercenaries and the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II, the Humen mercenaries occupy about 40,000 square kilometers of Eritrean land from Humen along the northwest of the Red Sea, which is home to five new towns developed by Italy, with large pastures and fertile land.

This land was presented to His Majesty the King by Viscount Li Yong of Humen, so it was included in the territory of Somalia, which means that the Eritrean coastline occupied by Somalia along the Red Sea extends from more than 370 kilometers to 800 kilometers, which is almost two-thirds of the Eritrean coastline.

It was with the hapless Kingdom of Italy as a foil that the French felt much better to accept.

Since the defeat of the Qing and French wars, the French colonists only controlled part of the area south of Hanoi, and it was this area that was lost in the Franco-Vietnamese War, and the more than ten provinces added up to more than 40,000 square kilometers, which is not a big deal.

Compared with the old colonizer Britain, the first Anglo-Burmese War, the first Anglo-Afghan War, and the first British invasion of Nepal in South Asia all suffered defeats, so it seems that the defeat of the French is not unacceptable.

After many mediations

On July 7, 1896, Governor Montapero of the French Saigon Governor's Office and Lieutenant General Pham Dong Zhang, Chief of Staff of the Vietnamese Army, formally signed the Franco-Vietnamese Saigon Peace Treaty in Saigon, ending the war in South Asia.

The Treaty of Saigon stipulates;

Since the signing of the treaty, France and Vietnam have resumed normal bilateral economic and trade relations, and French business contacts have the right to consular protection, enjoy the same treatment as other European countries, and enjoy trade facilitation.

France paid 46 million francs to ransom all the captives and pay for their accommodation, food and medical expenses.

France recognizes Viet Nam as the legitimate Government and the two sides maintain the existing border line, as detailed in annex I.

It is the responsibility of the Vietnamese state to investigate and punish those responsible for the Hanoi incident, and to compensate the French businessman and his family for the corresponding losses of 7.2 million francs, which will be automatically deducted from the ransom.

France and Vietnam will work to build a vision of friendship between equal countries, develop a partnership oriented to South Asia, cooperate closely in regional affairs, and respect the concerns of both sides......

Many of the clauses are meaningless visions of the future, so I won't repeat them here.

Just a week after the treaty was signed, the new governor of the French Governorate of Saigon, Mr. Joubert, who had been in Calcutta, India, arrived in Saigon by boat and swept the former governor Montapero out of the house.

It may be that after living in British Calcutta for a long time, the new governor, Mr. Joubert, was a little angry, and when he came up, he removed an important staff member of the governor's palace and investigated it, and the methods were quite ruthless.

Think about it too

When the former governor Montapero returns to mainland France, he will be subject to investigations and parliamentary questioning, and the trouble is far from over, and he will not be imprisoned.

Aren't these important staff members of the Saigon Governor's Office responsible for singing every day here?

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